Novels and Duels
by Elfdragon12
Summary: Jaishu Hanashi was a girl who never lost in a duel, until she met Kaiba. Now, a year later, she transfers to the same school as Yugi and his friends. How will she effect their lives and Kaiba's? Seto and OC.
1. Chapter 1

Elf: (clears throat) Ahem, Welcome to my new story, Novels and Duels. ... Okay, I admit, the title is kinda cheesy. Titles are very difficult to fabricate, especially on spot.

Kaiba: You suck.

Elf: Tch, if you were writing a story on this subject, it'd be about you ruleand how much Yugi and Jounouchi need to be put down. Anyway, I'll put the disclaimer once and only once, for I'm sure thatall you readers would rather read the story than reading me rant.

Disclaimer:Elfdragon12 does not an any way, shape, orform possibly comprehend the possibilty of owning Yu-Gi-Oh! If she did, several of the female characters would not be within touching distance of Seto Kaiba because she loves him so much. She only claims to her OC, which would mainly be Jaishu, Jacob, Amaiko, Hiraki, and Mr. and Mrs. Hanashi. So now the lawyers who are stalking her like incompetent ninjas can go stalk someone else... Don't ask about the 'stalking like incompetent ninjas' thing. It's better not to know.

Chapter 1: The Tournament Before

"Another win for the rising competitor, Jaishu Hanashi!" The announcer shouted out. It was an older man, mustache, gray hair, everything.

A young girl stood in the winner's circle. She had defeated all of the opponents she had yet faced. She wore a black tee and blue faded jeans. A silver dragon that curled on her chest with a black thread glinted brightly under the lights. She was usually not one for the flashiest fashions of Domino City. She brushed a silvery lavender strand out of her face.The strands were long and curved around her face.Only her bangs were that color, the rest was ebony black. She stood at an average height of most fifteen-year-olds. Her eyes were a lavender color as well. _One more opponent to go and this tournament is mine._ She had no idea who her next opponent was, but that just made the competition more fun.

"We've witnessed one of the most amazing female duelists in action today, but how will she fare against the famous, top duelist in the world, Seto Kaiba?" The crowd cheered like there was no tomorrow.

Jaishu froze for a second, but then recomposed herself. It was finally her chance to take a swing at the world-renown duelist. She watched as her opponent walked out of the shadows to the spotlight.

He walked out as if he was the king of the world, but heedless of the cheering fans. He wore a forest green button up shirt and pants and wore a navy blue trench coat that flowed out behind him. He had icy blue eyes that saw nothing but what was in front of him, and had short chocolate-colored hair. He was tall and had hints of muscles underneath his clothes. But in all of this, Jaishu only saw the opponent, nothing else.

"Opponents, shuffle each others deck."

Kaiba handed her his cards and Jaishu handed him hers.

"Ready to duel?" She asked.

"Any time, but to warn you, I won't go easy on you." He said, staring down at her. She suddenly felt a little self-conscious about her height.

"I don't take pity and I don't give pity in dueling. It's life or death here, would you agree?"

"Yes, and I hope you're ready for your funeral." He said as a quick quip.

She smirked, "If you're so certain, hand me my deck."

They handed each their cards.

"Duelists, take your positions!" Each duelist went to his or her side of the dueling arena, "Now start the duel!"

* * *

Elf: I apologize for the shortness of these next few chapters in advance. Not all of the chapters are this short. Just to let you know, if you do review, any and all flames shall be fed to the Blue Eyes White Dragon I took from Kaiba in order to get him to stay during my little sidenotes... Along with his laptop. - 

Kaiba: Once I find out where you've hidden them, I'm out of here.

Elf: Heh, keep tellin' yourself that. Also, since he won't really be in the story much, I've forced-erm, persuaded 'Yami' Ryou Bakura to come join in the fun.

Bakura: Persuaded nothing. You tied me up and dragged me.

Elf: Uuuuh, no I didn't. I have no clue what you're talking about. Anyway, I'll be using Japanese names in this story, so yeah. I'm sorry if I mix things up ahead of time. I also mainly go off of the version of the show they air in the US, because that's the main thing I can get my hands on, but I do get the manga sometimes, but none of what I read so far reaches the main setting of this, so yeah..

Bakura: These 'little' notes are taking more room than your story.

Elf: ... Shut up.


	2. Time to Duel

Chapter 2: Time to Duel

Each player started with 2000 life points, and forty cards in each deck. They each drew five cards into their hands.

Jaishu studied her cards, drawing strategies and back-ups. She placed a monster card face down and two magic cards face down as well.

Kaiba looked at her calculating. What was it she was planning? It never hurt to be safe. He played a magic card.

"I place La Jinn the Mystical Gene of the Lamp." He called out his move, "But that's not all, I play Giant Trunade to get rid of your face down cards."

Without blinking, Jaishu retrieved her magic cards.

"And now La Jinn, attack her face-down monster!"

"Tut tut, Kaiba. You just made the same mistake that many of my other opponents made." She flipped her card over to reveal Muka Muka. "For every card in my hand, Muka Muka's attack and defense are raised by 300 points. I have five cards in my hand, so my monster's attack is now 2100 and its defense is 1800. Luckily for you it was in defense mode, so your life points aren't affected. Hope you make a better move next time." She looked up at him, "Do have any other moves to make before you end your turn?"

"Yes. I place one card face own. Your move."

Jaishu drew another card. _Odd, he didn't switch his monster to defense mode. His card must be a trap. _She looked at her cards. Bombardment Beetle, Swords of Revealing Light, Axe of Despair, Magic Jammer, Trap Master, and Chaos Command Magician. She nearly squealed with delight at the sight of the last card. Chaos Command Magician was her favorite, not to mention powerful. She considered her strategies. She moved Muka Muka to attack mode, placed one monster face down, and placed one magic card face down.

"I place one monster face-down, in defense mode, and I attack La Jinn with Muka Muka!" She declared her attack loud and clear.

Kaiba smirked this time, "I play Negate Attack!"

Jaishu smiled, "Not if I activate my face down monster's affect first. Go Trap Master, dismantle his trap!"

Kaiba grimaced as his trap and his monster were destroyed. His life points dropped to 1700.

"Have you figured it out yet? You can't just attack me head on. You need be prepared the unexpected." Jaishu taunted.

"I didn't come here to learn strategy."

"Do better in your next turn. I end mine now."

The crowd went wild. This girl had just taken a chunk out of the Seto Kaiba's life points. He didn't seem to be doing too well in this match. The announcer's voice went on in the background, but neither duelist paid it any attention. They were fully focused on the match.

Kaiba drew his card. He looked his hand and smirked. "I have to congratulate you for your success so far in the match, but playtime ends now." He put the card that he felt could surely end the duel in a few short turns, the Blue Eyes White Dragon, on the field. "Blue Eyes, attack her Muka Muka with Neutron Blast!"

Jaishu's stomach did a cartwheel when she looked at the card and another when it attacked. It was, supposedly, unbeatable. Her life points dropped to 1100.

"I end my turn. You should just give up now and avoid the shame of losing." He taunted.

"I never surrender to my enemies. To give up is a worse shame than losing." She said determined. She drew her next card and a faint glimmer of hope appeared.

* * *

Elf: (sigh)

Kaiba: I almost regret to ask, but what's wrong?

Elf: No one reviewed my last chapter. I feel kinda depressed now.

Kaiba: At least it's quieter now.

Elf: (glare) Well, I know nowwho I can go to forcomfort. Not you. (another sigh) Oh well, I won't beg for reviews, but it would be nice to know people are reading this.

YB: Who would **want** to read this? It's about Kaiba.

Elf: Thanks. I feel so loved now. Not. Anyway, I promise that the chapters **will** get longer so you readers will have more to enjoy.


	3. A Dragon Rival

Chapter 3: A Dragon Rival 

It was a card that helped her get out of any mess, Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 8. But she needed level 6! She needed to draw out the match to get it.

"I play Swords of Revealing Light! It stops your dragon from attacking me." She placed her magic card that she had in her hand, "I end my turn."

Kaiba grimaced again, but it soon passed. He shrugged, "Heh, it would be easier if you just gave up. But now you have three more turns to see that you're in a hopeless mess and nothing in your deck can save you." He drew his card, "I place one card face down."

She glared at Kaiba. She couldn't give up. She didn't become a duelist just to give up at the end. She drew her card, Nutrient Z. _This might come in handy. _"I end my turn."

Kaiba smirked again. He drew another card and laughed. "Hide for as you can. I've my second Blue White Dragon!" He threw it down in attack, "But I can't attack you attack you this turn or the next. I end my turn."

Jaishu's stomach did another somersault. The second Blue Eyes, now he just needed the third one. Her hand trembled slightly as she drew her next card. Her eyes widened in surprise. Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6!

"I play Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6 in attack mode." She said not looking at Kaiba.

He laughed, "That's your first mistake, playing that weak monster in attack mode." He drew his next card, "I pass my turn. Now the swords fade away. This is your last free turn. Use it wisely, because it's your last."

Jaishu drew her next card. She drew Ordeal of a Traveler. She put it in her hand for later. "I pass this turn." In an undertone she whispered to her card, "I'm sorry, but I have to."

Kaiba drew his card. "This shall be one of your last. I play a monster in defense face down. And I attack your pathetic dragon with Blue Eyes. Witness a superior dragon at work. Neutron Blast!" With a blast of its breath it wiped her Horus and a large chunk of her life points. Her count dropped to 400.

She laughed.

"What's so funny?" He asked, missing the hidden joke.

"You just my dragon's special effect! I can special summon a stronger monster to the field from my hand. Horus the Black Flame Level 8. His attack is 3000 and his defense is 1800! His attack is equal to Blue Eyes White Dragon. It's still your move."

Kaiba scowled, "I end my turn."

Jaishu drew another card, Summoned Skull. She left it in her hand. She saw Axe of Despair in her hand and smirked. "I attach Axe of Despair to my dragon, upgrading its attack points by 1000. Horus, attack his dragon! Black Flame!" Her dragon destroyed on of Kaiba's, dropping his life points to 700. He scowled.

"I end my turn." Jaishu announced. Again, the crowd was eating this up.

Kaiba drew his next card and smirked. "Your fun stops now."

"How would that be?" Jaishu asked, she couldn't think of another card that could stop her.

"I play Needle Ceiling. It destroys all face up monsters." Kaiba said smirk.

Jaishu gasped. She certainly had not seen this coming. But this wasn't the final blow.

"I play Monster Reborn to special summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon. I attack you directly. Taking your life points down to zero."

And so the battle ended. The crowd cheered and shouted.

"What an amazing duel this has been folks, but Seto Kaiba once again come out on top. Let's hear it for this tournament's champion, Seto Kaiba."

After everything was said and done, Kaiba and Jaishu faced each other.

"Good duel, you're not bad for a guy. Well, I must be off. Goodbye." She ran off quickly. Kaiba stared after her. She was confusing to him. She didn't seem the least bit upset that she had got beaten.

As soon as Jaishu entered an empty corridor, she punched the wall. _Why'd I have to get so cocky? _She reached for the black box that hung on her hip, and pulled out a card. "I'm sorry, Horus my friend." She whispered apologetically."But I can promise that next time I duel Kaiba, I'll work even harder at beating him."

* * *

Elf: And so the duel ends, but not the story. Heheh. That means Seto and Yami 'Kura can stay even longer! Yay!

Kaiba and Bakura: Oh the torture.

Elf: ... Jaishu talks to inanimate objects.

Kaiba: I told her she was crazy.

Elf: Well, at least they don't talk back. You'd talk to your cards to, I bet. Or at least mentally. I'm not sure if Seto really has Needle Ceiling, but I know for a fact it isn't fake. I have one myself. Anyway, ja ne!


	4. New School And Friends

Chapter 4: New Schools And Friends

**One year later**

The alarm clock buzzed in its single, blaring tone. With a groan, a girl's hand beat on the snooze button. She opened one eye to look at the clock. The bright green lights said 7:00. She sat up with a start. She didn't want to be late on the first day at her new school. She hopped up out of bed, threw on her school uniform, bolted down her breakfast, and grabbed her backpack. With a wave and a smile, she bid a mother figure goodbye as she ran to school.

She walked down the road when she passed a game store. She stopped in her tracks and stared at it for a moment. With a quick shake of her head she continued walking.

"Come on Yugi or we're going to be late to school again." A girl's voice came from behind her. She turned to look to see who it was. A tall girl, wearing the same uniform as she was, with brown hair and blue eyes, stood there with her hands on her hips. A shorter boy ran out the door. He wore a blue jacket, blue pants, and a white shirt underneath. The boy's school uniform no doubt. _Could it possibly be **the** Yugi Motou?_

"Sorry Anzu. Hold up!"

Another look at the boy confirmed her suspicions. The spiky, black, red and yellow hair and purple eyes could belong to no one else. Although, he was shorter and less… What were the words? Calm and cool? Fierce and determined? But no matter how she looked at him, there was no doubt it was the supreme duelist.

The two noticed the girl watching them.

"Can we help you?" The brown haired girl asked.

"Oh, yes! I'm not sure where this new school I'm supposed to be attending is. Could you help me? I'm supposed to be going to Domino High School." She asked.

"Hey! That's the school we go to! Just follow us." Yugi Motou motioned her to follow them. As they walked the girl decided to start the introductions.

"By the way, what are your names?" The girl asked.

"Oh, I'm Yugi Motou, and this is Anzu Mazaki. What's your name?"

"My name is Jaishu Hanashi. Nice to meet you. I'm excited to go to the same school as the world famous duelist." She said bowing.

Yugi blushed, "Heh, do you duel?"

"Of course. I have won some tournaments and such." Jaishu admitted.

"Your name sounds familiar." The girl named Anzu paused, "Hey, don't you also write fantasy stories?"

Jaishu smiled, "Yes I do. Are you a fan of them?"

"Yeah, I've read all of your books. I didn't know that you were still in high school though."

"Heh, some people don't like something a high school student writes. So how much farther is this school anyways?"

Yugi looked up, "We're here."

"Yugi, Anzu! It's about time ya got here!" A loud voice with a tough-guy sort of accent came from ahead of the three standing there.

"Hey Jounouchi, Honda. How's it going guys?" Yugi asked, addressing two more boys. One had messy blond hair, brown eyes, and taller than her. The other had dark hair with single point, brown eyes, and about the same height as the first. The first one looked at Jaishu and smiled.

"Hello there, my name's Katsuya Jounouchi. This guy over here is Hiroto Honda. What's your name?" He asked.

"My name is Jaishu Hanashi. Nice to meet you two." She answered with a short bow.

As soon as they finished those introductions, another boy walked up to them. He had shoulder-length white hair and brown eyes. Jaishu startled herself when she realized she wouldn't disagree with anyone calling him cute.

"Hello, everyone." He said, a distinct British accent could be heard in his voice. He looked at Jaishu. "My name is Ryou Bakura. And who might you be?"

"I'm Jaishu Hanashi. I just transferred to this school. It's nice to meet you, Bakura." She bowed shortly.

"What would you say about a date?" Everyone's face fell when Jounouchi asked.

"Sorry, but only guys that beat me in a duel can ask me out. And only one guy has ever beaten me. And I certainly doubt he's going to ask me anytime soon." She said with a smirk.

"Who's that, Jaishu?" Yugi asked intrigued. She hadn't told them about her dueling status.

"I'm pretty sure you're familiar with his name. Seto Kaiba is only person that I have ever dueled and lost."

"So the loser finally decides to show her face in public." A cold voice came from behind her. Jaishu recognized that voice.

Jaishu whirled around. "I have appeared in public many times since our duel, Kaiba. I just haven't made a dueling appearance since then." She corrected him.

"Did you get scared after losing to me?" He taunted.

"In your dreams! I've been improving my strategy and my deck. Plus, I've been extremely busy with my deadlines, interviews, all the boring stuff." Jaishu shook her head. "I **am** a talented, new novelist after all."

"You're a novelist?" Jounouchi asked disbelieving.

"Yeah, I released a couple popular fantasy stories. It's rather fun manipulating my characters." She said with a chuckle, but then she straightened her face. She cleared her throat, "Sorry about that. Very few lines like that escape my mind. Shall we go on to class?" She quickly walked off in the direction of their classes.

"Um, are you sure you know your way around, Jaishu?" Yugi asked concerned.

"I'm positive. I took a tour of the school the other day. I said I was unsure of my way to the school, not my classes!" She said beaming.

* * *

Elf: Yay! Another new chapter! In this one you get to see more of Jaishu's personality.

SK: Terrific. More torture.

Elf: Aww, cheer up, Seto.

YB: Hah! I'm not even in this story, so you can't torture me in this thing.

Elf: Heheh, who says this is the **only **Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic I'm writing?

YB: Oh, Ra. Save us all!

Elf: Sheesh. Drama queen. By the way, I'm not going to beg for reviews, but here's a little hint. If I get reviews, I update quicker. It's a motivation-thingy.

SK: Your vocabulary astounds me at times.

Elf: ... Shut up.


	5. Dodging the Master

Chapter 5: Dodging the Master

Jaishu stood in front of her first hour class. The teacher had just finished introducing her and trying to decide on where she should sit.

"Ah. Miss Hanashi, the seat in front of Mr. Kaiba should do nicely. Now if you would take your seat." He told her, pointing to her seat.

Jaishu looked up surprised. She hadn't noticed him at first. But there he was, with an uninterested look on his face. Jaishu walked to her seat, not looking at him again. She kept her eyes directed at the teacher and his lecture, trying to keep her thoughts from dreaming up some devilish tortures Kaiba might come up with for her.

The teacher droned on, seemingly endlessly. Then, by the work of some miraculous saint, it was time to go home. She sighed with relief.

"And I thought that class was never going to end." She said to herself.

"Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity." That familiar, cold voice, once again, made its appearance.

"It is. But only if you answer back." She responded, "You'd be glad too, that is, unless you enjoy having half of the male populace staring at you." She threw her bag over her shoulder, leaving Kaiba behind.

"Hey Jaishu! Wait up!" Yugi's voice came from behind her as she was about to walk off of campus. She turned and saw the whole gang coming towards her.

"Oh, hey guys. What is it?"

"Would you mind spending the afternoon with us? We could show you around."

"Sure. Why not? I have nothing better to do." She said with a shrug.

"Alright! Why don't we head to my place first? That why you can meet my Grandpa, Jaishu." Yugi suggested.

"I've got no problem with that. To be honest, I haven't had much of a chance myself to wander around here and check everything out."

It didn't take long to get to his house. Yugi pushed the door open.

"Hey Grandpa! I brought someone for you to meet!" He called out. An old man came out. His hair was completely grey and he had purple eyes like his grandson's. He wore an orange handkerchief on the back of his head, showing a bit of his hairstyle. Jaishu could see where Yugi got his hair. He wore green overalls over a creamy white shirt.

"Oh-ho. Who is this young lady?"

"My name is Jaishu Hanashi. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She bowed to him.

"Ah yes. I thought you looked familiar. I remember watching your duel with that Kaiba." He said thoughtfully, putting a hand to his bearded chin.

Jaishu winced a little at the mention of the duel she lost. "I suppose it's good that the duel is remembered, but I would ask that you don't bring it up often in future conversations."

"Oh, I apologize."

"It's alright. I suppose everyone can be touchy about any duel they've lost."

"How long have you been dueling?" Yugi asked.

"Um, I suppose about seven years." Jaishu said, putting a finger on her lips. "Over the last year I haven't been doing too much public dueling."

"Why not?" Jounouchi asked.

"I've been perfecting my strategy. In order to beat Kaiba the next time I battle him, I need to pick up some new tricks." A cell phone ring broke through any conversation. "Oh, it's mine." Jaishu riffled through her pack and retrieved a baby blue cell phone. "Hello, Jaishu Hanashi speaking." She answered it cheerfully.

There was a pause. "Oh, hey, Hiraki. What's up?" Another pause. "Okay, what's that got to do with me?" Another pause. "You couldn't get some other girl to do it?" A loud voice could barely be heard over the other end. "Fine, fine. You don't have to shout. I'll be there in a couple minutes." There was a short pause. "Heh, yeah right. Say that kind of stuff before you ask the favor. Bye." She hung up.

"What was that about?" Yugi asked.

"That was my brother, Hiraki. He wants me to be his excuse for some weird thing he's doing. Sorry guys, but I have to leave." She picked up her stuff, "Sorry we couldn't hang out more today." She added apologetically.

"It's no problem, have a good time with your brother."

"I'll try. Thanks for today." She walked out the door.

She sighed as she walked down the street. Trust Hiraki to mess things up for her. Shouldn't he have left home by now? He was already twenty and graduated from high school.

Footsteps behind her snapped her out of her thoughts. She continued walking, breathing in and out steadily to keep herself calm. She turned the corner, close to where she had planned to meet her brother. The steps followed.

The pace of her breath quickened slightly. Why would someone be following her? She turned the corner, the steps following hers, down to the exact moment.

Finally, she reached the plaza where Hiraki was to meet her. She searched the faces of everyone there. No Hiraki. As a matter of fact, the plaza was empty.

"Typical of him. Just **has** to be late." She tapped her foot impatiently. Normally, she would just bare it and slap him over the head when he finally **did** come. But now-

"Ah, hello there girly." A voice came from behind her. It was slow and grating. To her it felt like he was scraping her head on the sidewalk. "Could you help me find my way back to the Reizan Apartments?"

"If that was what you wanted, you could have asked me that two blocks ago." She turned to look at him. He appeared to be in his late twenties-early thirties. It certainly didn't look like fate favored him all too much.

His eyes widened. He grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back with more speed than she had expected from him. A sharp object pushed itself into her back. Most likely, it was a knife.

"Well, ain't you the clever girly? If I were you, I wouldn't be actin' all high-and-mighty."

"Well, you're not me." She countered. She spoke before her mind could tell her that saying that was not the smartest thing to do. The knife prodded her back. There was a sharp intake of air from the slight fear she contained.

"Well, you're coming with me, whether you like it or not."

"No, she's not." A familiar voice came from a pathway to the left of them. Jaishu turned to see Kaiba walk out to greet them, his silver briefcase was gripped in one hand. His face had an angry and fierce look on it.

"And who are you to make me let her go?" He shouted at the young CEO. Not the best decision to make in Jaishu's opinion.

"Seto Kaiba, that's who. Now let her go before I get angry."

"And if I don't?"

Kaiba didn't talk. Instead he acted. As they had been talking, or exchanging threats, Kaiba had approached the man. As fast as lightning, Kaiba knocked the man to the ground, making him release his hold on Jaishu in the process. The man on the ground looked up at Kaiba in disbelief.

"Now get out of my sight, you pathetic dog." Kaiba growled, glaring at the whimpering fool. The whimpering fool quickly obliged to his demands.

Jaishu breathed a sigh of relief. She put a hand to where the knife had been held to her back. "I guess it was a good thing my uniform didn't get ripped." She paused and looked at Kaiba. He didn't have the happiest look on his face. Then again, he never did. "And I guess it's a good thing you came by when you did. I hate to have to say this, but thank you. I," she paused again. She was going to regret saying this. "I suppose I owe you one."

Kaiba smirked. "That makes the score two for me, and zero for you." He looked around suspiciously.

"Well, no one asked you to save me. What is it?"

"Didn't you have the geek squad with you?"

"Geek squad?" She thought about it for a minute when the realization hit. "Oh, you mean Yugi, Anzu, Jounouchi, Bakura, and Honda. I was with them. But then my brother called me so I could go with him to some silly meeting."

"There you are, Jaishu!" A loud voice broke over their conversation. "It's about time I found you."

"What are you talking about, Hiraki! I've been waiting for at least five minutes! And I nearly got mugged too! If you had just had the decency to be on time, it wouldn't have happened!" She shouted at him.

Hiraki's eyes widened. "You nearly got mugged! What happened? Why didn't you shout?" In his small dose of panic, he had gripped her shoulders.

"It's difficult to shout if you have a knife sticking in your back." She said calmly. She looked at Kaiba. An irritated look had graced his features as it most often did. "What's your problem now, Kaiba?"

Hiraki looked over at Kaiba, noticing him for the first time. "Is he the one that stopped the mugging?" He asked Jaishu.

"Yes. And if you don't mind, Hanashi, I've got things to do. I can't just sit and watch your little family reunion." Kaiba answered crossly.

"No one's making you stay. You can go if you want to. As a matter of fact," Jaishu turned her head to glare at her brother, "We're supposed to be going somewhere. The whole cause of our little 'misadventure'."

"Hmph." Kaiba turned and walked away.

"What's his problem? Speaking of which, what's yours? The guy just saved your life."

"That's just it. Plus, he's the same guy that beat me last year. Not to mention how he always acts like that. Now let's go and get this thing over with." Jaishu grabbed Hiraki's arm and walked off, dragging the twenty-year-old behind her.

* * *

Elf: ... You call him dog, but growl? I think some wires might be mixed up in your brain, Seto-kun. 

SK: No, that's **your **brain. You're the one that typed this all out. And I told you not to call me Seto-kun.

Elf: So you did... I think... I dunno. I wasn't paying attention.

YB: It wouldn't be the first time.

Elf: And I thought you'd stay quiet, 'Kura-kun.

YB: (twitch)

SK: (smirk) Yes, **'Kura-kun**.

YB: Shut up.


	6. Dreams of the Past

Chapter 6: Dreams of Past

_She walked through stone halls that were decorated with murals of rivers and reeds. She knew these halls by heart and had no problem maneuvering through the maze. Black hair fell past her shoulders while her lavender bangs still curved around her face. The soft lavender eyes scanned the hallway. No one._

_She gasped when a hand grasped her shoulder._

"_Sheesh. Calm down, Kheptiri. It's only me." It was a shorter girl with dark brown hair and soft hazel eyes._

"_Well maybe if you didn't sneak up on me like that." She countered defensively._

"_I didn't. I called your name at least three times." The girl paused, "Your mind must be on a certain priest." She said, looking at her friend slyly._

_Kheptiri covered her mouth with her hand. "Shut up, Hani! You know how talkative and gossipy some people are. They might hear you! The last thing I need is everyone to go around saying, 'Oh! Kheptiri is in love with Priest S-"_

"_Priest who?" A cool, familiar voice startled her. She looked up to see the owner of that voice was-_

Jaishu woke up with a start. That dream again. She brought a hand up to her face. Her knees brought themselves up to her chest.

"Why can I never see the face? Why couldn't he just let me say his name?" She stood up when her alarm clock rang. Lazily, her fist brought itself down to stop the annoying beep. She growled at it and went to the task of getting ready for school.

When she reached the high school, she was greeted by her newly-made friends.

"Hey Jaishu! Did you have fun with your brother?" Yugi called out to her.

She turned to face them. "Yeah right. There were no other teenagers. Just a bunch of stuffy adults. Besides, it didn't help that when I was heading over to meet him, I nearly got mugged." She said in a joking manner.

"What!" Everyone was in total shock.

"I nearly got mugged. But it doesn't matter, 'cuz it's all in the past and I didn't die or anything."

"What happened?" Anzu asked. Her face was a mask of complete seriousness.

"Well, I was walking towards the plaza I was supposed to meet my brother when a man attacked me. Someone came and knocked him off me. **Then** my brother decides to show up. A scary thought was that my attacker could have been twice my age." She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"Did you get the name of the person that saved you?" Anzu asked.

"I already knew his name."

"So it was a guy. Could you call him your 'knight in shining armor'?" Anzu asked slyly. It would be such a perfect relationship if the guy that saved Jaishu was one that would sweep Jaishu off her feet. Anzu almost sighed.

"No way! He would be 'guy with shining briefcase'." Jaishu said crossly. She put her head on her arms that were folded on the desk. Jounouchi and Honda laughed.

"Come on! Tell us who it was!" Jounouchi prodded Jaishu with a finger.

"I'd rather not. It'd save me from a lot of embarrassment. I suspect he'll soon start lording the fact he saved my life over me any minute now." She said as she swatted the intruding finger away.

Right on cue, Kaiba walked in the room. He didn't spare a second glance at the "geek squad". He took his seat behind Jaishu.

"Since you're here, I'll assume that you didn't pick up any new stalkers." He said with a smug smirk.

"Enough, Kaiba. I'd prefer that this subject wasn't discussed." Jaishu groaned. This was definitely going to raise some questions. She was hoping for a nice, **pleasant**, and undisturbed by some outside force, day. It didn't look like whoever put her under all this was going to give it to her.

"What's he talking about, Jaishu?" Yugi asked the girl whose face was hidden in her arms.

"She didn't tell you who saved her?" Kaiba's eyes turned to the girl sitting in front of him. This was going to turn out amusing.

"How did you know about that?" Jounouchi asked. He grew angrier by the second, that Kaiba-guy really knew how to get on his nerves.

"Cool it, Jounouchi. He knows because," Jaishu paused, "Because he was the one who saved me. You should have caught on at least a bit when I said 'guy with shining briefcase'. He nearly always carries one around with him. I bet if any blood got on it, he cleaned it off."

Everyone looked at the two in disbelief.

"You see, Anzu, this why I disagreed when you asked if I considered him my 'knight in shining armor'." Jaishu said, she didn't move from her position.

"Y'mean to tell me that Mr. Grumpy-face here saved your rear-end?" Jounouchi asked, disbelieving his ears.

"You don't have to believe it, Jounouchi, but it's true." Kaiba interjected. He was cross at Jounouchi for calling him 'Mr. Grumpy-face'. It wasn't the one of the most complimenting titles.

"Could we just drop it for right now? I can hear the teacher's footsteps." Jaishu said. Her lips turned into a small pout and her eyebrows had come closer together, a sign of annoyance, if any.

Jounouchi went quiet, straining his ears listening for the fabled footsteps. Jaishu just groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice your unique looks. Would you mind accompanying me to a party?" A boy, not too much taller than her, with light hair and dark eyes approached Jaishu. He had a very suave look to him.

She pried open one eye and looked at him. "No."

"Why not? Already have a boyfriend?" He asked her, stunned at her decision.

"A couple reasons. One, you haven't beat me in Duel Monsters yet. And two, I can tell by looking at you that you're not my type. And by the way, I don't have a boyfriend." She answered lazily. She sat up and stretched. "Now be a good boy and go away. I don't date guys until they've beaten me."

Kaiba looked at Jaishu curiously. When did she pick up this idea? Before or after she dueled him? This disturbed him slightly, but somehow, a strange feeling arose, but it was quickly shoved away as he pushed the comment out of his mind.

"When did you decide that, Jaishu?" Honda asked. "That makes the pickings a lot slimmer for you. And doesn't it leave just Kaiba?"

There was a snapping sound coming from off to the side as Jounouchi snapped his fingers, along with a quiet 'dang it', but this was all ignored by those listening.

Jaishu looked the young CEO behind her. She noticed that when she turned to face him, he found it a good time to look at a book. "Oh, I decided that about, maybe two and a half years ago. Yeah, it leaves Kaiba. But I prefer my guy to be a stronger duelist mainly for my own reasons."

Suddenly, the teacher walked in. Everyone scattered and took their seats.

"Now, class, open your algebra books to page 357."

* * *

Elf: Ah, well, yeah. Now, before some of you readers groan and say 'Oh no, **another** OC character with an ancient past!', there's a bit more to it... But I can't tell you yet. That might ruin it.

SK: (groan) Wonderful. This priest stuff again.

Elf: Get over it. Another thing that has been brought to my attention is that someone said that I should 'stop using script format'... I only use it when it comes to my pointless author's notes and really doesn't have anything to do with my story. And it's completely opptional to read this part... Though sometimes it's nice to see what the author has to say about their writings.

YB: That may be, but it would be better if you **left us out of this!**

Elf: Eheheh-heh... But I can't use Kuronue 'cuz he's in an entirely different anime. Anyway, Elf's outta here!


	7. Rumors and Invitations

Chapter 7: Rumors and Invitations

It had been several weeks, when one day, Jaishu wasn't at school.

"I wonder where Jaishu is." Jounouchi wondered out loud.

"She called me last night about today." Anzu answered. "She said that she would be doing a live press conference later today. It's going to be about the last book in the popular series she's been writing. I'm really excited about it."

"When is it going to on?" Yugi asked.

"She said it would be on TV at about 5:30."

"If it's going to be on that late, why is she missing school?" Jounouchi asked.

"I asked the same thing. She said since press conferences are emotionally draining, so she's saving her energy for it."

"Makes sense." Yugi commented.

Later on that day, Jaishu found herself sitting in front of several cameras and microphones. The reporters asked her many questions. In all honesty, she didn't answer many of them directly. She just gave small, indiscreet hints.

"Will the sorcerer, Hitake, and the lady, Seisha, end up together?" This was one of many questions.

"Well," Jaishu, thinking hard of how to answer this, "They've worked on their relationship in this book, or I should say Seisha has been. I can't say." She finished, shrugging. She cast a look at one of the camera men who was signaling it was time to wrap it up. "I have time for one more question."

"Are you and the president of Kaiba Corp., Seto Kaiba, dating?" The final question rang loudly in her mind.

"Uh, that doesn't really have anything to do with the story."

"Yes, maybe, but answer the question please."

"No, Kaiba and I are certainly **not** dating." She stood up, signaling the end of questions.

"Nice timing, Miss Hanashi, right at 6 sharp." One of the cameramen beamed at her.

"They never stood a chance. No reporter can stand up to my awesome timing skills!" She responded, flashing a bright smile back. She trudged over to the black car that she arrived in. She collapsed on the back seat.

"Tough day?" Her driver, Hiraki, responded with a chuckle.

"Have I ever told you how much I hate the press? The last question. I have no clue where they came up with some that stuff!"

"I'm almost afraid to ask. What was the question that's got you so steamed up?"

"They asked if I was going out with 'the president of Kaiba Corp., Seto Kaiba'. Where on Earth do they come up with this?" She said frustrated.

"Maybe because you said, publicly I remind you, that you wouldn't go out with any guy unless they beat you in a Duel Monsters duel. And Kaiba is the only guy that has ever beaten you." Hiraki said helpfully.

"Thank you. I feel so much better now." She said sarcastically.

The next day at school was murder. It turned out that many people watched the press conference. Now it was going around that, supposedly, Jaishu Hanashi was dating Seto Kaiba.

"For the fifth hundredth time! I am not dating Kaiba! I specifically said this yesterday! Why won't anyone get the hint!" Jaishu stood with her friends just after another person had asked her the question. She walked towards the classroom wall.

"Uh, Jaishu, what are you doing?" Yugi asked.

"I am going to beat my head against the wall until it bleeds. Or that this whole thing straightens out and everyone gets a life instead listening to those stupid rumors!" She started doing so. After the fifth time, someone put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." The voice was not one she was particularly happy on hearing. "What's with this rumor?"

She turned to face him, "Look, Kaiba, I didn't start this stupid rumor. It's all the stupid press's fault. Just because I said that only certain people can date me, and just because you are currently the only person **in** that category, they decide to make two plus two equal five."

"And how are you going to solve this?" Kaiba crossed his arms. This day definitely didn't start in his favor.

"**Me?** I don't know how I'm going to solve this. I don't usually have the press breathing down my back. I usually do not have the **school** breathing down my back. Besides, last I checked, **you** were the genius with the corporate seat." She said, speaking slowly at first, quickly gaining speed. After she finished, she took a deep breath. "Well, that made me feel a little bit better, but that didn't help our little situation."

Kaiba was silent. He was trying to think of a way out of this stupid mess. Meanwhile, Jaishu was taking out her frustrations by plotting evil things to do to each of the members of the press that she could remember.

"I need to write some of these down." She walked over to her bag and opened it. She reached in and dug out a red spiral-bound notebook. As she stood up, something fell to the ground. "What's this?" She grabbed it and stood back up.

It was a white envelope. It was heavier than what a normal letter would weigh. On the front, it was sent to her, with no return address. "That's odd." She slid her finger through the back to rip it open. It contained a note, a plane ticket, and reservations to a hotel. She pulled out the note to read it. It read:

Dear Jaishu Hanashi;

You, and a limited number of other high-ranking duelists, have been chosen to compete in the new dueling tournament that will be taking place on the date mentioned below. Please bring along a duel-disk. Included with this letter are your ticket and hotel reservations. I hope to see you there.

There was no name.

"Hey, what's that, Jaishu?" Jounouchi asked, breaking her off from her reverie.

She held up the contents of the envelope, "This? An invitation to a tournament that I found in my bag just a second ago. My brother probably stashed it in there, hoping I'd find it. It was dated for yesterday and yesterday I wasn't in a mood to be bothered."

"Hey! I got one o' them too!" Jounouchi said excitedly.

"Really? So did I." Yugi acknowledged the fact he too had been invited.

"Well, this sounds like it could be fun. My first tournament in a year and I'm in with the great Yugi Motou and Jounouchi." She smiled and sat down. "I wonder if Kaiba got one. I definitely wouldn't mind."

Jounouchi and Yugi stared at her for a moment.

"What? I meant that as in I wouldn't mind having a second chance to beat him. Sheesh! Do you **have** to take it the wrong way?" She clarified her earlier statement.

During the rest of the day, there was no possible way for her to clear her mind. It went from her dilemma with Kaiba, to the tournament, to the excitement of the last book.

Finally, at the end of the day, she walked home alone. Her friends offered to walk with her, but she had declined. She needed to think about some things. Besides, she couldn't let her new rivals see her strategies she was planning.

She reached her home and ran straight to her room. She went through her bag, pulled out her deck, and tossed her bag on her bed. A loud hiss was issued from the bed as the bag hit it. A shorthaired, gray cat with black markings bolted from the dark red sheets. It ran over to the door and issued another hiss. It looked up angrily at Jaishu with its luminescent green eyes.

"Oh, sorry, Ra. I didn't see you there. I've been rather distracted lately." She put her deck aside and apologized to the cat as she picked him up. Humming softly, she stroked the fur between his ears. Appeased, the cat purred loudly. It leaped down from her arms back to the bed. "Thank you. Now I need to work on my strategies."

* * *

Elf: Whoot! Enter Ra, the greatest cat ever! I think he might be my favorite character in the story. Cookies to whoever knows what kind of cat he is. Hint: it's an Egyptian breed. Gotta have a fuzzy mascot in here somewhere.

YB: Well, Kaiba, we've been outdone by a cat.

SK: Like I care. That furball can stay her favorite character.

Elf: Awww, looks like Kaiba's jealous.

SK: Of feline! Not likely.

Elf: Suuure, whatever you say, boyo.


	8. Great Ra Intervenes

Chapter 8: Great Ra Intervenes

A few days before the tournament was to start, Jaishu looked through her cards for, what must have been the sixth hundredth time. Ra didn't approve of her spending so much time on her cards and not on him. The young cat sat on her lap. Ra clawed at her white tank top and dark shorts to get her attention. Absentmindedly, the girl stroked the dejected cat.

This wasn't good enough. He leaped off the warm lap and stood at her feet. He had constructed a plan. He clawed at her bare leg and bolted out the door.

"Ouch! Ra!" She looked down to see him run out the door. She stood up and ran after him. The cat ran down the stairs and out the front door with the owner running after him.

"Ra, get back here!" Jaishu shouted hopelessly at the cat. She stopped and gasped in horror as the cat ran straight into the street. Right in front of a black limo.

Inside the limo, the driver barely noticed the dark-furred cat in time to push the brakes for an abrupt stop. And who should the unfortunate passenger be, but Seto Kaiba. He vaulted forward, but was stopped thanks to his seat belt. He heard shouting come from outside. He stepped out of the limo to see what happened when he saw Jaishu shouting across the street.

"What are you doing?" He asked the girl as soon as she paused for breath.

Jaishu looked to see who talked to her when she saw Kaiba, "No way." She sighed. What was it with Kaiba? He popped up everywhere she went. "I was shouting at my stupid cat that decided to run across the street in front of your limo!" She looked to see Ra sitting on the opposite sidewalk. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn it had a smug smirk on its face.

The spotted cat calmly sauntered over to her. She picked it up and immediately scolded it. Kaiba noticed that the cat wasn't looking her, but at him. Taking the initiative, Ra leapt onto Kaiba's shoulder, making himself right at home. Jaishu looked at the cat shocked.

"Ra! What do you think you're doing? Sorry Kaiba. Ra doesn't usually act like this." She reached up and grabbed the cat off his shoulder. "It's kind of weird though. Ra doesn't usually act very friendly towards other people. Not even my brother or my mom. It's odd that he'd like you, of all people. You don't really strike me as a cat person."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the cat. "I'm not. And what kind of name is Ra for a cat?"

"Well, Ra here is an Egyptian Mau. So I thought it would be cute to name him after one of the great Egyptian gods. I didn't like the name Osiris for him, because he's the God of the Dead and I want Ra to live as long as he can. I didn't like Horus for him because, even though he's one of my favorite cards, in legend he is like a falcon. It would be too much of an oxymoron to name him that. And, well, the only name that really popped into my head was Ra."

Kaiba looked at the cat that was now being held by Jaishu. He was cleaning his paws and seemed very content with himself.

"Now if you'll excuse me, Kaiba, I've got a tournament to prepare for." Jaishu said, excusing herself from Kaiba's presence.

"Did you say you're preparing for a tournament?"

"Yeah. I got an invitation to one the other day. Why? Did you get one too?"

"Yes."

"Great. Now I get a second chance at beating you." She said cheerfully.

"That's only possible if you make it far enough to challenge me." Kaiba said with smirk. "And judging from the last time you dueled in a tournament, you won't."

"Really?" Jaishu stepped up to Kaiba and looked him in the eyes, "Because I will." She turned and walked back to her house.

Kaiba shook his head and stepped back into the limo. He ordered the driver to continue. On the way to his destination, he couldn't help but think about Jaishu. Why did she keep popping up where he did? There was her first day of school, then the incident at the plaza, that rumor that they were trying to get rid of, just now, and soon to be the tournament.

His thoughts wandered to the statement that got them into that rumor mess. She had said that he was the only person in the category that she considered good enough to date her. He seemed to be one of the only boys at school who didn't seem intent on being on her good side. Now that he thought about her dueling skills, he realized that Jaishu was the only girl he knew that didn't duel using those cutesy or girly cards that so many girls were fond of. He had to admit that there was a high probability of her making it to the finals if all she did this past year was improve her strategy.

He was shocked with the feeling of excitement of seeing how much she evolved. Speaking of which, she seemed taller from the first time he met her.

* * *

Elf: See kids, that's why you wear your seatbelt. You never know when a malicious, but cute, kitty comes along with a plan... It's also good to keep the door shut so the kitty can't get out so easily.

SK: Anyone else hate that cat?

YB: (raises hand)

Elf: Hmph. Whatever. Ra is still cool. Oh, Ra's an Egyptian Mau, for any of those that hadn't caught that. I'm disappointed. No one guessed wat kind of cat he was. You all make me cry... Just kidding. By the way, I apologize, this chapter was shorter than normal.


	9. New Tournament Rules

Chapter 9: New Tournament Rules

The day of the tournament finally came. Jaishu arrived at the airport in the late afternoon with Yugi and Jounouchi.

She wore a white tank top over a dark navy blue tank top underneath it with black cargo shorts. The silver dragon jewelry that she always wore was now visible to everyone. She also wore a black armband with silver trimming and four studs. The thin straps of her blue top slid down her shoulders to rest on her arms. Jounouchi wore a white t-shirt that had blue hems on the collar and the sleeves and a dark blue jacket with jeans. Yugi was wearing his uniform jacket and pants along with a tight black shirt.

The others had come to say good-bye. But because they hadn't received the airplane tickets, they couldn't go with them. It would be the first time that the boys went to a tournament without them.

"What?" Jaishu was totally surprised by this revelation. "Well, I guess I'll take their place for a while." She smiled at her friends. "Something new is happening for me this tournament too."

"What's that?" Yugi asked her.

"This is the first time I'll be dueling with friends. But even if we end up against each other, I'll still duel my hardest and I'll expect the same. Agreed?" She put a hand up.

"Agreed!" Both of the guys brought theirs up to hers, making it a three-way high-five.

"Well, looks like someone's lost their little cheerleaders." Everyone recognized the voice. They looked up to see Kaiba standing ahead of them.

"Kaiba!" Jounouchi growled at the taller boy. Kaiba was wearing his black pants and shirt with his sleeveless silver-studded white trench coat. He wore silver gauntlets on his forearms and two small belts on each of his upper arms and on the lower part of his legs. He had his silver briefcase in hand. Jaishu would never admit it, but he definitely made the outfit look good.

Jaishu put a hand on Jounouchi's shoulder. "Not now Jounouchi. Wait 'til the tournament. Then you can settle your differences with Kaiba in a duel." She paused, "Not before I do though."

"Hmph, that third-rate dueling me?" He laughed. "I'm surprised he was even invited to this tournament. The note said 'high-ranking duelists'. Jounouchi's anything but high-ranking." He turned and started walking away.

"Why that creep!" Jounouchi tried to charge at Kaiba, but Yugi and Jaishu held him back. "Let me at 'im!"

Jaishu let go of Jounouchi, stood in front of him, and then hit him over the head. "Get a hold of yourself Jounouchi. Kaiba **wants **to get a reaction from you. Prove you're high-ranking by beating everyone else. You're just making a fool of yourself right now."

Jounouchi looked up at Jaishu from holding his head. "Fine." He said pouting.

"Good. Now come on." She took him by the arm, "We have a plane to catch."

They finally reached the plane. Jaishu cocked her head. It was a private plane.

"Is something wrong, Jaishu? You looked troubled." Yugi asked, concern was written all over his face.

Jaishu looked down at Yugi and shook her head. "Nope, I was just thinking about the plane. Even though I don't know who is arranging the tournament, it's easy to tell that they're rich." She shrugged, "But then again, anyone running a tournament should be financially well-off."

"Are you guys gonna just stand there or are ya comin' on already?" Jaishu called out to them, she was already heading into the plane. She had somehow gone from speaking right in front of him to the entrance. The girl was a mystery, Yugi shook his head.

"Hold on, Jaishu!" Yugi called out as they ran to catch up, seeing as how she had left them in the dust.

After finding their seats, Jaishu took the liberty of seeing who was there. She recognized some of their faces, all from previous tournaments or television. There was one face she was very happy on seeing.

"Jacob Brennan!" She called out to a young man, sitting near the back, who was looking out the window.

He snapped out of his reverie and looked to see who called his name, "Ah, Jaishu. A pleasure to see you again." He stood up and stepped into the isle. He was a bit taller than Jounouchi with a lean, springy build to him. His hair was messy, a soft chocolate color, and reached down to his earlobes. His eyes were a jade green, warm, yet calculating, quite capable of reading past talented poker faces. His body was covered with a nice, bronze tan.

Jaishu beamed at him, "I'm surprised to see you here of all people. Out of the many times I've dueled you, you've never beaten me."

"Well, things change in the space of three years. Like dueling status. I know yours has, Ms. I-can't-be-beaten-by-a-mere-man." His voice was very calm, and sounded completely intelligent, yet with a teasing twist in it just for her. In response, she stuck out her tongue, "Although it's nice to see some things haven't, like your maturity." He smiled softly at her.

"Hey Jaishu, ya know this guy?" Jounouchi approached her, looking at Jacob.

"No, Jounouchi, I'm just talking to a stranger like an old friend." She answered with sarcasm. Jacob chuckled softly. Jounouchi glared at the girl for a second, then lightened up.

"My name's Katsuya Jounouchi!" He grinned at the slightly taller boy.

"Jacob Brennan. A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jounouchi. I have heard of you from some of Jaishu's e-mails."

"Eh, just drop the 'Mister', it makes me feel old."

Yugi walked up next, "I'm Yugi Motou. So, Jacob, how long have you known Jaishu?"

"Three years now. I was a transfer student at her school for a year. Then she came and visited me in America." He paused, "I used to have a crush on her, but she didn't feel the same."

"When you say 'used to', I assume you mean you've finally got over it." Jaishu stated.

"Yeah, I decided I couldn't just wait around on you and got over it. As a matter of fact, I have a girlfriend right now."

"Really? So you finally got lucky." Jaishu grinned up at him, "So what's she like?"

"Well, she's very sweet, has a good attitude, **and** she cooks." He paused for a moment, "She has a good sense of humor, too."

"So how'd you meet her?" Jounouchi asked. She sounded nearly perfect.

"At our school. I had finished my after school duties when I heard her singing in an empty classroom. She's very good at it. I brought out my guitar and started playing with her. She adapted to it perfectly. Of course, she didn't realize it at the time. She's very shy." He stopped talking to pull out his wallet. He searched through its contents until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a picture.

It was a picture of him with his arm around a girl. She had bright red hair and big blue eyes. In the picture she was blushing.

"I guess you're right. From the fact that she's blushing in the picture, it would seem she's very shy." Jaishu commented in mild surprise.

"Would all passengers would take their seats, we'll start the flight." A loud, masculine voice came over the intercom. The four that were talking quickly returned to their seats.

"About time." Jaishu heard Kaiba grumbled. The girl simply rolled her eyes in response.

After being in the air for, perhaps, half an hour, a man came out of the very front two seats. He had black, smoothed back hair and wore blackened sunglasses over his eyes. He wore a professional black suit, complete with a tie.

"Alright, while the flight is taking place, there are a couple rules that you must be aware of." The man explained. "I shall be the referee during this tournament. First is that none of the men are to enter the lady's room, or else they shall be disqualified." The referee seemed to throw a specific look at Kaiba before continuing, "And lastly, there will be four duels the first day, and this tournament will take place for a total of four days. Being late to the duel will make you forfeit and cause your opponent to continue on."

"Wow, a rule just for Jounouchi." Jaishu said with a smirk, loud enough for him to hear.

"Well, the first one was meant for you, too!" He threw one back at her.

"Actually, I don't mind it that much. Keeps any pervert members of this group out of my room when I might be sleeping, or changing. Of course, if any did so happen to walk in during one of those times, once suitable, I'd kill them myself." Jaishu said smugly. Her three friends looked at her with surprise. "Of course," she began as an afterthought, "I would only kill them **after** I removed a special part of their anatomy." She laughed loudly as they went bug-eyed.

"Hmph. And who would **want** to?" Three guesses as to who said that. The first two don't count.

"Are you **blind,** Kaiba?" She heard someone shout out before she could retort. She figured it was probably Jounouchi.

The man cleared his throat, signaling that he wanted their attention. "There will be three rounds. The Preliminaries, the Doubles, the Semi-Finals, and the Finals. The Doubles will be a two-on-two match. Your partner is decided by the Preliminary matches. The selections have been chosen randomly and will be revealed after the plane has landed."

"Where are we going, exactly? I don't remember seeing our destination anywhere in our letters." A man close to the back asked. His bright red hair and emerald green eyes made him easy to spot. He struck Jaishu as vaguely familiar.

"The tournament shall be taking place in New York City, New York, in the Ramadi hotel." The man turned and left, leaving the duelists to their own devices.

Several conversations had popped up, but Jaishu, and Kaiba of course, remained out of any. She just wanted to think to herself. The fact that she had a seat to herself may have helped in that, too.

Night fell as the flight continued. The girl's eyes closed a while after night fell, carrying her away to sleep.

* * *

Elf: Yay! I finally posted! I can't believe it's been over a month! I've been working on other stuff and getting carried away. Well, now the story's taking liftoff as a major part of the story approaches! Woohoo!

SK & YB: Yay...

Elf: And I know you're so excited for **your** story to come out, Kura-kun.

YB: Hardly. I've tried deleting it, but it never worked. **Kaiba** hasn't even been able to!

Elf: Heh, of course not. I must keep an extra handy in case you guys **do** delete it. Bye my dedicate, and non-dedicated, readers! 'Til next time.


	10. The First Day

Chapter 10: The First Day

A gentle shaking woke Jaishu from her sleep.

"Mmm," She groaned and swatted at the offending person. "Five more minutes, Mommy."

She heard a light chuckle close to her, she could deal with that. But the loud guffaws in the background weren't letting her go back to sleep.

"Guess that makes you a girl now, Jacob." A voice she recognized somewhat said loudly.

She finally decided to open her eyes so she could shout at the people that were too loud. Which was everyone who was with her. She was having a really good nap! Her eyes opened and her vision was blurry. She soon gave up and went back to her comatose state. Sleep was so good and wonderful. Almost better than chocolate or ice cream.

There was a sigh in the background. "Fine, if you want to play the hard way." The boy left the possible threat hanging as he took action. He picked her up unceremoniously and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the private jet.

Jaishu squeaked as Jacob had picked her up. This was very undignified, both the lift and the squeak. "Put me down now, Jacob Herkins! Let me down before I kick you where the sun doesn't shine!"

The tall boy laughed, "You should have thought about this when I asked you to wake up politely. To carry out your threat while you're in that current position would difficult.

She finally gave up as Jacob carried her off the jet. After all, all she could do was pout and pound her fists on his back, which seemed to have no effect on him.

"You know I'm mad at you, right?" She asked as the brown-eyed American set her down on the ground. She threw a glare at Jounouchi, who was laughing heartily. The glare shut him up quite quickly. Yugi looked like he was trying hard **not** to laugh.

Jacob chuckled. "Of course. Why would you be anything else?" He grabbed his baggage as it carried out by some men that were in charge of carting luggage out of the jet.

A thought quickly struck her. "Just for waking me up so rudely, you can carry my luggage." She turned to Jounouchi who was laughing at the poor American's plight, "Since you think it's so funny Jounouchi, you can help." She smirked at the look of disbelief on both boys' face. She laughed to herself. "Just be thankful I didn't try to pack my room." She removed her two duffel bags, both of which were a bright red, and set them on the ground. She turned, walking away.

Jacob sighed. "I should've known better. She always seems to get revenge in some sort of way." He picked up the duffel bag closest to him and started walking, "Well, come on, Jounouchi. We'd better hurry or she might come up with more."

"What do ya mean more?" Jounouchi asked, a look of shock overtook his features. He quickly picked up the other duffel bag and jogged over to join him.

"Jaishu is very creative with revenge. Once, while spending the night with my sister, I had made her upset and I woke up in the morning with pink hair, and bright red makeup. It took several hours to wash itself off. It didn't help that I had band practice that day either." He sighed. The girl in front of them seemed to be oblivious to the entire conversation.

"You said you had a sister, Jacob?" Yugi asked. He had kept out of Jaishu's way. It might've been because she only had two bags with her that he escaped.

Jacob turned his attention to the much shorter boy, "Yes, I actually have four sisters and one brother. I'm the second oldest."

"Wait a sec. You said you had a brother and four sisters? That's" Jounouchi paused to count his fingers, "six kids!" Jacob nodded.

"Wow. It must be hard having that many siblings." Yugi speculated. "I'm an only child."

Jacob shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not really home too much. I spend a lot of my time with my band, at school, and with my girlfriend. But, I'm used to it. It's a bit trying at times, but I get over it."

"Here we are guys! The eighth floor! The floor we'll be dueling on!" Jaishu announced cheerfully.

"Good, then I'll leave your bag." Jacob dropped her duffel bag, grabbed a key from one of several being held by a black suited figure close by them, and went to the room it specified. "I'll be in room 843 if you need me. Later."

"How'd you know this was our floor?" Jounouchi asked. He had an incredulous look on his face.

"I asked. Duh!" She slapped him over the head. "Seriously, Jounouchi, you are so smart, I'm not sure how you get your brain through the door!" She exclaimed, obviously making fun of him.

"Hm, smart girl. She caught on a little late." Seto Kaiba's voice was full of scorn once again.

Jaishu rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Kaiba. I got tired of verbal fighting when I ran out of worthwhile contestants." She paused thoughtfully, "Although, I have found it entertaining to mock the intellectually-handicapped with superior lingual skills." Another thought passed through her mind before continuing, "Perhaps that's what got me into trouble at Rintama."

Jounouchi dropped all items he was carrying in shock, "You went to Rintama?!"

"Yeah, only for a year though. A gang leader liked me a little too much for my tastes. His gang tried to jump me, but I got the better of the leader and ran off."

Jounouchi's face fell as she admitted running. "If you could take down the leader, why'd you run?"

Jaishu shot him an exasperated glance, "Jounouchi, I am **not** a martial artist or street fighter by any means. It was incredibly difficult. The main reason I got away was because I got hold of his knife. I know several ways of self-defense, but that's it. I prefer trading cards to trading punches. The way of the fist is for those who do not wish to fully explore the ways of intellect and technology." She paused, "Though, I must be honest, I'm only sure enough of my tech skills to fix a virus from my laptop. I leave the massive stuff to guys like Kaiba. To each their own trade. You, physical fighting, Kaiba, gaming technology, Yugi, being an awesome guy, Jacob, playing rock music, and me, writing and wowing the public with my awesome skills!" The most enthusiasm shown, of course, was during her own description.

"It's good **someone** knows their place." Kaiba interjected. This caused Jaishu to laugh.

"Far from it. I think I remember Jacob saying I'd be the man in any relationship." Jaishu said with a laugh. She missed seeing the referenced boy rob his eyes with a shake of his head. Jounouchi gave her an odd look.

"Eh, sorry to leave in this interesting point in the conversation, Jaishu, but I think I'll go unpack now." Yugi, whom Jounouchi and Kaiba forgot was standing there, grabbed a key, looking somewhat perturbed by Jaishu's comment. She merely shrugged.

"I think I'll take my bag now, Jounouchi. That is unless you **like **carrying it around. If so, I'll let you be my personal 'carrier of items I don't feel like carrying myself' for the rest of the trip." She offered with a smile on her face. The blonde boy quickly gave her the duffel bag.

"Nah, you can take it. I don't wanna carry your stuff around." He said quickly. The girl snapped her fingers with a light-hearted 'shoot'. "Well, I got my key, see ya later." He swiftly ran off to his room to recover from jet lag. A plane trip from half way across the world was not an easy one. The ride had been over ten hours.

As soon as Jounouchi was gone, Kaiba slammed her with a serious question. "Why do you hang out with that mutt? You'll only catch his horrible skill."

"What? Jealous?" A glare sent by the blue-eyed CEO stopped her, "Well, if dueling skill was any indication of who one should hang out with, would Yugi **really** be with his non-dueling friends? It's personality, Kaiba. I think his personality is the kind that makes people want to go up and pat him on the head. I admit he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he has other redeeming qualities. A dog may not always be the greatest in smarts, but a cat only stays in your lap because it's warm."

This caused Kaiba to raise his eyebrow. "Interesting metaphor, but I don't care." He would not be 'friends' with anyone, not unless it furthered his own causes. That would make him the 'cat' of the dark haired girl's metaphor.

"Of cour-" Something stopped her in the middle of what she was going to say. Immediately she burst out laughing. This went on for a few minutes before she finally calmed down.

"Care to let me know what was so funny?" While Kaiba was under the impression that Jaishu's sanity was not fully intact, this was odd behavior for the girl. That and he felt that he was somehow the cause of her sudden burst of laughter. A prospect that Kaiba was not fond of.

"Sorry," She said as she wiped away a laughter-induced tear, "I just remembered the dream I had on the plane. I was wearing a black and white tuxedo while at a fancy restaurant and the people serving me dinner were," She paused, hesitant of telling the rest of her dream, "You, Jounouchi, Yugi, and Jacob. And you were all wearing French maid dresses!" The look of slight shock on Kaiba's face practically **begged** her to go on. "Oh yes. French maid dresses. You all filled the chest area quite nicely. But you and Jounouchi were the best. Your legs were very shapely." She laughed even more as she grabbed her bags and a key. She was barely able to make it to her room. (1)

Kaiba quickly shrugged off any horrors that description may have induced and grabbed his own key for a room. That was such a demeaning idea that Kaiba wished to erase it from his mind forever. The picture that dream could conjure would scar him for all his life into eternity. Why did he bother wasting his time with her? Unfortunately, he was unable to find an answer to that. There was something about her that he didn't know drew him to talk to her, even if it was in scorn. While he had always voiced his distaste for Jounouchi, it was different with this girl. He didn't know what it was. Kaiba hated not knowing himself.

Jaishu entered her room with a flourish of movement. She tossed her bags on the floor and collapsed on her bed. She needed to lie down so all this weariness could just go away. After lying around for a couple hours waiting for jet lag to wear off, a man in a red porter's outfit brought in dinner.

"Ah, thanks." Jaishu said with a small bow.

"And you are to report to the ballroom at eight o'clock in the morning." He added curtly as he walked out the door. But before he left he quickly added, "Everyone that's part of the tournament has complete access to this floor except for the other opponents' rooms."

After the man walked out the door, Jaishu attended to her food. It was a very delicious meal. She always did like Western food. It encompassed a lot different cultures. But no matter what, her favorite food was teriyaki chicken with rice. Not fancy or rare, but she thought it was delicious.

With a yawn and a stretch, she checked the time. It was only six-thirty. There was plenty of time before she would head off to bed.

After digging into pocket, she drew out her deck. To make sure she hadn't left any cards behind, she went through her deck, counting the amount first, then sorting them into piles by type, then she finally looked at each of the cards individually. Jaishu didn't want to have any sudden, unpleasant surprises in her deck when she was dueling.

For the next hour, Jaishu spent her energy going over any strategies or combos that her deck might provide. The girl mostly went over situation that she would confront when she would reach her duel with Kaiba. There was no one else in this tournament she wished to face more, besides Yugi or Jounouchi. Of course, to get to either of them, she would have to face and defeat Kaiba. She was starting to drift away when there was a knock on her door. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she stood up slowly and walked to the door.

Another, more persistent, knock filled her ears when she didn't answer right away. "Hold on, I'm coming right now." She opened the door right when her friend Jounouchi was going to attempt knocking on the door again, but instead, he ended up knocking on her head.

"Ouch! Jounouchi! What do you think you're doing?! Didn't I say I was coming to the door?" Jaishu said upset, holding her head. Jounouchi had hit her hard! Her skull was made of bone, not three inches of solid wood.

Jounouchi looked her, shocked. "Uh, oops, sorry, Jaishu." He gave her a sheepish apology. Yugi, who had accompanied him, shook his head a little at his friend's bumble.

"A little late for that, Jounouchi. Your brain is there for a reason other than to take up space, use it." Jaishu reached up and whacked him over the head.

"I do!" Jounouchi exclaimed defensively. He gripped the offended limb with both hands.

"Not often enough." The girl huffed for a moment and folded her arms. "So, anyway, what can I do for you guys?" She still seemed irritated, but most of it seemed to have gone away.

"We came to tell you that we found out there's going to be a surprise tomorrow morning." Yugi explained. He had only heard about it when Jounouchi knocked on his door, telling him what he had just heard from a porter.

"Care to clue me in on the surprise?" She asked. An extra twist in a tournament was always interesting.

Yugi's shoulders fell. "That's why we came. Jounouchi figured that you might know what it was."

Jaishu gave an exasperated sigh. "Wow, that's rich." Her speech was interrupted by a yawn. "I think the jet lag is still getting to me guys." There was another yawn. "You guys should get to bed early too. We all need to be awake for our duels."

"Aw, I don't wanna go to bed early. I want to explore the floor." Jounouchi whined.

"Heh," Jaishu laughed, "There's no way you're going to duel half asleep. You'll lose your matches by being late."

Scratching his head, Jounouchi had a stunned look on his face before he laughed. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that rule."

"Yeah, good night guys." She yawned once again. "Good luck with your duels tomorrow. See ya." She yawned as she bid them good night and shut the door.

* * *

(1) Ahem. This is based off an actual dream a friend of mine had. It featured our close male friend. Even after all this time, he will never live it down.

Elf: It's-It's -gasp- An update! Has it really been over a year since I last updated this thing? I am so sorry to all of my readers who have been waiting so long for me to get off my rear end and update this. I've gotten very distracted recently with other story projects, so I haven't given much time to this one or my YYH fic. I haven't much to show I guess, but I'm planning on releasing a Naruto fanfic this year. It's a big project, so I'm a little nervous about releasing another project when I have two other UNFINISHED projects sitting on my account waiting to be updated. The good news is that my YYH fic should be reaching it's end sometime, whenever I actually write in it.

SK: Get to the point already.

Elf: Sheesh. Anyway, please forgive me.


End file.
